The Caliper Spectrum IVIS (in ivo imaging system) will be used to understand critical cellular processes in live mice using fluorescent or bioluminescent cells, proteins, or probes. Investigators are focused on heart disease or host response to infection, and have developed a range of transgenic animals or constructs that will enable them to utilize the imaging system for detection of cellular processes. This instrument images whole mice (under anesthesia) and can detect fluorescent or bioluminescent signals within the intact animal with a resolution of approximately 1 mm. This will allow investigators to detect nests of bioluminescent stem cells within the heart, to measure infarct size, or to monitor the progression of bacterial or viral infections over time. This instrument obviates the need to sacrifice animals at individual time points and will expand the modalities available for experimental design. Six NIH-funded investigators (representing 8 R01 awards and 3 investigators on a P01 award) will benefit from the instrument, and it is anticipated that additional faculty members will use the instrument in the future. The IVIS Spectrum will provide an important imaging modality that will extend the research capabilities of the investigators. Given the expertise of the group in fluorescence microscopy and in the development of transgenic mouse models for monitoring biological processes, it is expected that the IVIS will be rapidly incorporated into existing research projects. It will help to fulfill the important NIH goal of reducing the number of animals used in research, and this reduction in animal costs will extend the research dollars and increase productivity. The availability of the IVIS will facilitate new collaborations and will allow investigators to think about asking new questions, or taking novel experimental approaches. The availability of this state-of-the-art instrument will help SDSU recruit new biomedical research- oriented faculty as well as to retain its best investigators. This instrument will be extremely important to investigators wishing to apply their findings to patients, as the animal studies enhanced by the IVIS will lead the way to optimal clinical trial design. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The ability to conduct real-time, sequential in vivo imaging of small animals is an important extension of animal models developed to study human diseases, and a prerequisite to translation of basic science discoveries to clinical applications. This proposal is to request an in vivo imaging system (Caliper Spectrum) to study mice using fluorescent or bioluminescent reporters. The investigators contributing to this proposal will use the IVIS to study heart disease, inflammation, and infections.